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Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Massimo Introvigne of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) reported that Christians killed every year for their faith number 105,000, and that number includes only those put to death simply because they are Christians. It does not count the victims of civil or international wars.

"If these numbers are not cried out to the world, if this slaughter is not stopped, if it is not acknowledged that the persecution of Christians is the first worldwide emergency in the matter of violence and religious discrimination, the dialogue between religions will only produce beautiful conferences but no concrete results," he stated.

Sunday, June 5, 2011

The idea that the uncouth people of the Middle Ages thought the Earth was flat is a myth that has been propagating since the nineteenth century, intended to give us a quite unfair view of this vibrant and exciting period.

The myth that Christians in the Middle Ages thought the world was flat was given a massive boost by Andrew Dickson White's book, 'The Warfare of Science with Theology' published in 1896. This book has become something of a running joke among historians of science and it is dutifully mentioned as a prime example of misinformation in the preface of most modern works on science and religion.

The flat Earth is discussed in chapter 2 and one can almost sense White's confusion that hardly any of the sources support his hypothesis that Christians widely believed in a flat earth. He finds himself grudgingly admitting that St Clement, Origen, St Ambrose, St Augustine, St Isodore, St Albertus Magnus and St Thomas Aquinas all accepted the Earth was a globe - in other words none of the great doctors of the church had considered the matter in doubt. Although an analysis of what White actually says suggests he was aware that the flat Earth was largely a myth, he certainly gives an impression of ignorant Christians suppressing rational knowledge of its real shape.

Saturday, June 4, 2011

Redefining marriage from the union of a man and a woman to the union of any two persons jettisons three foundational principles: first, the principle that children are entitled to a relationship with both parents, second, the biological principle for determining parentage, and third, the principle that the state recognizes parentage, but does not assign it.

The essential public purpose of marriage is to attach mothers and fathers to their children and to one another. The child is entitled to a relationship with and care from both of the people who brought him into being.

Same sex marriage redefines parenthood, as a side effect of redefining marriage. Up until now, marriage has made legal parenthood track biological parenthood, with adoption for exceptional situations. The legal presumption of paternity means that children born to a married woman are presumed to be the children of her husband. With this legal rule, and the social practice of sexual exclusivity, marriage attaches children to their biological parents. Same sex couples of course, do not procreate together.

Redefining marriage will have far-reaching legal consequences. Courts are awarding parenting rights to individuals who are neither biological parents nor adoptive parents. Let us call these people “non-parents.” The courts, and now even some legislatures, are giving parental rights to non-parents. Perfectly fit parents are having their rights diminished because they once had a sexual relationship with someone.To do this, the state must establish multi-part tests for determining whether a person warrants the status of “de facto parent.” The court ends up scrutinizing the minutiae of family life to make a determination about whether a person meets the criteria for being a de facto parent.

The alternative to the biological principle for determining parentage is the principle that the government decides who is a parent. Instead of simply recording parentage, the state will determine parentage, not in exceptional cases, but routinely. This is what “getting the state out of the marriage business” will eventually come to mean.

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Lack of food is not the problem but rather the need for more efficient distribution.

Overpopulation is a myth. It has nothing to do with the amount of people but rather the availability of resources and the capacity of the environment to sustain human activities. To be overpopulated, a nation must have insufficient resources, food and living space.

Indian economist Raj Krishna estimates that India alone is capable of increasing crop yields to the point of providing the entire world’s 6.8 billion inhabitants with food.

Saturday, May 28, 2011

The elimination of female unborn children in India is widening the gap between girls and boys and storing up social problems for the future. In some towns there is already a shortage of brides and there are fears the growing gender imbalance will worsen attitudes to women. Governmental efforts to reduce discrimination against female babies have been successful in places such as South Korea.

It has been hoped that socio-economic progress would lead to a change in attitude towards girls but the evidence suggests otherwise. Wealthier, better-educated couples are the worst offenders. Although all strata of Indian society share a preference for sons, better-off families have access to and can afford the ultrasound tests to reveal the sex of the child.

Friday, May 27, 2011

Sixty-one percent of American adults—including some who describe themselves as “pro-choice”—told Gallup in a survey conducted May 5-8 that abortion should be illegal in all or most circumstances.

The percentage saying abortion was “morally wrong” did not differ by gender, with 51 percent of men and 51 percent of women saying abortion was morally wrong. It did differ by age group, however. Younger Americans tended to have a tougher moral view of abortion than their elders.

This completely invalidates the claims of NOW and other feminist organizations who say that abortion is all about “women’s health”.

It also is inconsistent with the claim that it is men who push for “forcing” women to bear children. Feminists have classically tried to paint a picture of the poor exploited woman who becomes nothing but a vessel for pro-creation with a dominating man taking away her right to choose.

In truth, a woman who has had a baby has a much more reverent attitude toward life. She knows, from personal experience, that what resides in the womb after conception is much more than just some impersonal “product of pregnancy”. She knows that an intrauterine child is a living human being. She knows this because of a deeply personal and intimate relationship that develops between mother and child from the moment of conception.

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Dr. Richard Fitzgibbons, a top psychiatrist and expert in handling sexually abusive priests said that...

"Analysis of the research demonstrates clearly that the major cause of the crisis was the homosexual abuse of males."

It is commonly believed that the majority of recent sexual scandals involving catholic priests, were acts of pedophilia. But the data from this study shows that less than 5 percent of abuse involved prepubescent children. Instead, homosexuality, not pedophilia was clearly the primary sexual aberration driving the bulk of abuse. Nearly 80 percent of victims were post-pubescent and adolescent males.

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The laws of society must respect the dignity of all human beings without exception. The very moral foundation and well being of a society depends on laws and institutions which respect the moral dignity of all human beings.